Make Time For One Legendary Stephen King Cinematic Before It: Welcome to Derry's Next Episode
The series It: Welcome to Derry is packed with references to Stephen King's extensive library of stories. Apart from the obvious links to It, the series includes an explicit connection to King's famous novel through the cameo of a young Dick Hallorann. Now, as the narrative unfolds, It: Welcome to Derry is integrating one more beloved King story that deserves another look.
The Powerful Story of The Shawshank Redemption
While Shawshank Redemption may not be classified as horror, especially in contrast with a lot of the author's additional work, it is a haunting story about an innocently imprisoned individual condemned to spend the rest of his life in a notorious penitentiary. And it's that very penitentiary which is important in this context, as the Shawshank facility possesses significant history throughout King's stories — a pattern that continues within Welcome to Derry.
Some of the stories which mention Shawshank include Dolores Claiborne, Needful Things, Apt Pupil, 11/22/63, as well as It. Via these stories, we discover regarding the awful conditions inside the state penitentiary plus some of the inmates there, including the boyfriend of a belonging to Pennywise's early targets, who had been convicted of armed robbery.
So far, however, the most we have discovered concerning Shawshank was via the perspective of Andy Dufresne from The Shawshank Redemption, portrayed by Tim Robbins in the 1994 movie. Andy ends up in Shawshank following his wrongful conviction, and experiences beaten and abused by fellow inmates, while exploited by the authority figures for his expertise in finance. He requires nearly three decades to dig an escape route from Shawshank, before crawling "through sewage" to reclaim his freedom.
The Prison's Appearance in It: Welcome to Derry
In relation to the series, audiences first learned about the prison's inclusion via an early trailer for the series, where a correctional transport appeared with the name displayed on its side. In episode 2, we learn which character is probably destined for Shawshank.
Though we know he was not commit the murders of children in the first episode, Hank Grogan (Stephen Rider), dad to Ronnie (Amanda Christine), is arrested for those offenses. A teaser for episode 3, "the upcoming installment," shows a guard informing a jailed Hank, "Do you know what happens to kiddie killers in Shawshank?"
The Consequences for the Character and His Daughter
Considering that the actual killer in the town is an ancient power from another world hunting and murdering kids, Hank's prospects of proving his innocence appear slim. And even if he ends up in the prison and viewers do not see him there, understanding what is known about that prison makes it clear that his time there would not be pleasant.
More importantly, though, this situation could threaten his daughter. Hank is her protector. Terrible events are happening around Derry which no one, young or old, understands and she just has her recently formed of friends to rely on. She's going to need her father as the story progresses, but if the prison system plays a role, she could be out of luck.
A single fact seems clear: Hank lacks three decades to tunnel to freedom.
Welcome to Derry episodes 1 and 2 are streaming now on HBO Max. Additional installments air weekly each Sunday.
